Just A Little Hope
by the.silly.banana.muffin
Summary: Sometimes, even when something seems impossible, you just have to have a little hope. CloTi. Sort of a songfic, using "Airplanes" by B.o.B. Rated T for some strong language and some graphic scenes. More chapters to come.
1. Broken Peace

Hey there. c: It feels good to be able to write again. I wrote this after I heard "Airplanes" (Part 1/Part 2) by B.o.B., featuring Haley Williams and Eminem a few days ago. I'm not really into rap, but I love the chorus (the first three lines that are in italics). This takes place during the scene in Advent Children where Loz and Yazoo use the mako they stole to kill Cloud (and themselves). I really wanted to know what happened in between the time you see Tifa freak out, and when you see Cloud with Aerith and Zack in the World of Pure White, so I made a little something-something up. There's going to be more chapters, but I don't expect this to be very long. This really isn't my best--I just did it for fun--but you should still feel free to read and review...and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, as always. ^_^ Enjoy. c:

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* * *

Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky_

_Are like shooting stars?_

_I could really use a wish right now _

Cloud was dead.

It didn't feel so quite really yet—the numbness was paralyzing. Time seemed to have slowed itself; if not stopped. The damning, black ash cloud that drifted beneath the Highwind's propellers created a shroud of opaque silk; blocking any light from entering below it. Nothing could be seen, and the only sound that could be heard was the roaring of sliding granite and the roof of the former Shin-Ra building finally surrendered to the fire and quake.

Tifa could feel her eyes filling with hot tears.

Not another friend. Not another person she cared about.

She could still hear his voice—telling Denzel that he was going to meet them back at the Seventh Heaven. She could feel her knees giving way from under her; her thoughts becoming hazy as nothing seemed to matter anymore.

They had lost too many already. There was Biggs, Wedge, and Jesse. And then Aerith, right as they thought that nobody else would have to die. And now Cloud, the only one who seemed to hold her together when she felt as if she couldn't push on; was gone, too.

Tifa turned back to face the others. Their faces were all the same—a look of horror and pure shock. The air was still, and it was becoming harder to breathe. The smell of ash and smoke filled her nostrils through the airship's fans, and the dry, hot air only made her already-stinging eyes burn even more-intensely.

"…He'll—he'll come back, Tifa…he always does, right?" Yuffie nodded nervously; giving Tifa a smile.

Nobody replied. The group remained silent as they waited for the smoke to clear. He most-likely wasn't even there anymore—the impact was too big to have kept him in the same area. He was probably laying somewhere in Midgar's ruins by now; bleeding or burning to death with broken bones, if he wasn't already dead. Tifa winced slightly at the thought.

" 'Yo, think we can land this thing?" Barret turned to face Cid.

"Not yet—smoke's too thick," Cid rubbed his face with the hand that wasn't holding a cigarette. "We'll crash the fuckin' thing if we get too close."

Cait Sith jumped onto the glass flooring and look down. "Do 'ya think the lad's even down there?"

Although Vincent said nothing, Tifa could see him shaking his head out of the corner of her eye. After several minutes, she turned to face them. "…Cloud's with Aerith, now. We just have to remember that he'll be taken care of as long as he's with her," A warm tear slowly trickled down her cheek. "He wouldn't want us to worry about him."

"We don't know if he's dead or not, though—" Yuffie argued, if only trying to keep a last bit of hope alive.

"Look down, Yuffie," Tifa pointed to the ash cloud. "Does that look like _anyone _survived?"

The young ninja fell silent. Her eyes glistened slightly.

Tifa turned around again to the windows. Her wine-colored eyes narrowed slightly. "…We're going to have to look for him, though. It wouldn't be right to just leave him wherever he is."

Cid flipped a few switches on the control panel. Glancing to the others for a moment, he turned the ship. "…Then we better get a move on."


	2. Déjà Vu

Howdy. Did you like the last chapter? Thanks to the two people so far who have written reviews--me likey reviews. ^_^ This chapter made me sad--even though this is probably _nothing _like what really happened. C}: Anyways, feel free (as always) to read and review. There's probably going to be one or two more chapters left, so don't abandon me completely. c: Enjoy. :)

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Feeling the hard, dusty ground beneath her feet made Tifa queasy as she inched herself forward from the Highwind's deck. The smoke had finally cleared, however the fresh smell of fire lingered in the air. The remains of the Shin-Ra building hovered above, serving as a grueling torture device to stand to remind them of the dear friends they had lost to its reign, and the faint sound of its creaking structure was never too distant. Aimlessly digging through the rocks and sheets and heaps of metal, she sluggishly searched for their missing warrior.

_Tifa?_

The barmaid could hear the same person saying her name—over and over through her head. But she kept digging until her hands bled; sliced by chucks of hot metal or sharp shards of broken glass. Suddenly, a firm hand fell upon her shoulder and spun her around; causing her to lose her balance slightly. Barret stood before her, a perplexed look on his face. "Slow down, a'ight? We ain't in any hurry to find him, 'yo."

She shook her head. More hot tears fell from her eyes.

_He's alive…I know he is._

Looking away, she pushed his hand away from her shoulders and stepped back, tripping over a broken steel beam and landing on her back in doing so. As if her soul had been crushed in the fall, she let out a cracked sob and rolled over onto her stomach, where her coffee-colored hair fell over her tear-streaked face.

_This just can't be happening. We're looking for Cloud's body, for goodness sake._

Barret's strong hands quickly pulled her back upright, and his arms held her close as he tried to cease her crying like father would. "We'll find 'im, I promise. We'll find 'im—"

"…Barret."

The larger man turned to his name, where Vincent stood, leaning against a slab of granite. He didn't look directly at Tifa, although his crimson eyes seemed to shift between the two. "..What, 'yo?"

Vincent turned his head away from them and glanced down at something on the ground for a moment. He looked back up. "…I need to show you something."

Barret's arms fell back down to his sides, and he made his way over to Vincent. Although Tifa got the impression that she was not meant to see what was there, she silently trailed behind as if trying not to be heard.

_No._

Vincent had found Cloud.

The blonde laid between two concrete chunks, one arm laid across his torso and the other limply held his sword. Several other pieces of it lay, impinged in the ground around him. The numerous gashes on his body bled; trickling down his skin. Red burns covered his hands and arms, which also bled. The smell of burning flesh was sickening, and suddenly gave Tifa the urge to vomit. She could hear Cid and Yuffie's soft gasps and quiet swears as they approached the sickening scene.

_Can we pretend the airplanes in the night sky_

_Are like shooting stars?_

_I could really use a wish right now _

Slowly kneeling down, Tifa carefully lifted Cloud's broken body into her arms. Gently, pulled the sword from his hands and threw it to the side. The warm tears continued to fall.

_You won't need that anymore._

"…Now what? What're we gonna tell all the folks back home that'r gonna wanna see him?" Tifa could hear Cid's quiet voice as he let out another long string of curses and lit a cigarette. She didn't reply.

Looking down at him, she noticed he looked as if he was sleeping. He looked relaxed, as if calm with his fate. As she pulled a shaft of his light gold hair from his face, she could fell herself becoming sick again as she revealed another gash streaked beneath his eye. It leaked crimson liquid, and the stench of death seemed to become stronger with it.

"We should leave," Vincent looked away from them to hide the emotions that were beginning to surface.

"Giving a proper burial…" Barret murmured such phrases under his breath as he threw the warrior's body over his shoulder. Walking back, Cid trudged behind him as Yuffie trailed along silently, her head hung low.

Tifa glanced back to the sword; laying in the dirt and soot without its wielder. Bending over, she picked it up and plunged in back into the ground. Gazing at the familiar scene for several minutes; she finally turned back to the sound of somebody calling her name, over and over again.


	3. Two Souls

Ah herrow. c: Not much I can say about this one (other than I want you to feel free to review :D). ANYWAYS...I hope you enjoy.

PS. If anybody can help me figure out how to SUCCESSFULLY put spaces (like between the "I could really use a wish right now" line and the "Only thing worse than..." line), that would be great. ^_^ I'm trying the whole shift+enter thing and it isn't working out too well.

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* * *

Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky_

_Are like shooting stars?_

_I could really use a wish right now _

The only thing worse than Cloud being gone in the first place was seeing his limp form, slouched over in the corner of the airship's deck like Aerith.

There were certainly similarities between the two deaths

_Death…_

Just as Aerith sat, leaning against the altar's wall while everybody said their goodbyes; Cloud laid there, his head resting on his left shoulder. Both hands sat neatly in his lap, placed one on the other. However, his bodily appearance did him no justice--the blood had dried onto his face and the mud and ash was still crusted onto his cheeks. The scene bothered Tifa, and with every passing minute it made her want to look away more.

"…Where we gonna put him?"

The barmaid shot a silent glare to Cid, however gave up when her wine-colored eyes began to sting with hot tears once more. Somehow, the thought of Cloud being an object instead of a person made her heart shudder with sadness. There seemed to be some truth to it.

Cid seemed to understand the look. He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably for a moment before he tried the same question again. "Where'd we headed?"

"...The Forgotten City."

Both Tifa and Cid turned to Barret, who had his back against them. His hands were shoved in his pockets, and his shoulders were raising in an unpleased expression. His head was lowered toward his shoes, as if he were looking down at the celebrating world below; who had no idea that the man who had saved them all was now dead. The two exchanged glances before they faced Barret again. "...You sure?"

"'Ya heard me," Barret tilted his head slightly to catch them in his view. "Take Cloud to the Forgotten City." His voice was softer than usual, and it had been the first time in nearly two years that any one of them had heard him call Cloud by his first name. The loss of yet another friend seemed to make Barret loose all hope, and he continued to stare down onto the sky below like a puppy that had been kicked too many times.

Tifa sat down beside Cloud and took his hand. Why was she even doing there? Finding a water canister laying on the steel floor a few feet in front of her, she picked it up and shook it. She twisted the cap off of it and mindlessly dumped about half of the canister's contents onto his hand, and soon her fingers were rubbing the dirt from both of his hands in an attempt to make him look a little less dead.

_Not that you can really make him look less-dead._

She rhythmically ran her fingers over his palms and between his fingers, cringing with every cut the tips of her fingers brushed. Knowing that this was the only she would ever hold his hand or be close to him made her heart sink in her chest, and the air felt as if it were becoming thicker and thicker with each breath; and never being able to hear his voice again made her want to curl up and die, right there with him. What use was there to live anymore—she had lost nearly all of the people that truly mattered to her.

…_You'll have to promise me that you'll come and save me if I'm ever in a pinch, okay?_

Who was going to save her when she was in trouble? Who was going to be there when she was crying? Even if he never spoke, just having his presence calmed her—it made her feel like she had a reason to wake up every morning. With everyday, there used to be a hope that _today would be the one_—the day that Cloud would finally show her the way he felt about her. Or the day that he at least asked her to do something with him.

But now he was gone. And it was no longer to be. Tifa leaned in until she was only inches from his ear.

_You're almost home._

Looking out into the pink-painted sky, she noticed the soft green, flowing tendrils of the Lifestream traveling back to the planet. Was Cloud part of those strands, flowing freely for the rest of an eternity? Was he with Aerith and Zack? Jess, Biggs, and Wedge? Did he remember what happened? Did he miss her?

Something was telling her this was wrong. All of this was wrong. They weren't supposed to do this. She placed Cloud's hand back into his lap and twisted her head back to Cid. "…We shouldn't take him to the Forgotten City."

Cid turned to her with a perplexed face. "…What'd 'ya say?"

"She wants us to take him to the church."

"…_She_?"

Tifa rose to her feet and wiped her hands on her shorts. "Aerith. We should take him to the church—"

"Why the fuck should we take 'im there?"

Nanaki pulled himself upright from under the control panel. "The planet does not wish to take him."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Please—trust me," Tifa threw her hands onto the dashboard. "We aren't supposed to go to the Forgotten City. Aerith wants us to go to her church."

Cid let out a line of swears before lighting another cigarette. "...You got it."

Tifa turned back to Cloud, who still lay, slumped over against the wall. She smiled slightly.

…_You're almost home._


	4. Just In Place

Sorry that this chapter is a little short. I kinda had some writers block. XD I'm sorry if the characters seem a little out-of-character-it's been a little while since I've written something. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this teeny-weeny little chapter, and I'm _always _welcome to reviews. ^_^

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This was right.

They were supposed to be at the church for a reason.

Upon opening the large, wooden doors; Tifa was greeted by a small mass of children that were waiting on the inside. A young girl with brunette pig-tails stepped forward and gave her a kind smile. "…The flower girl wanted us here."

_I know. _

Tifa bent down and smiled slightly. "She wanted us here, too," Peering beyond the children, she could see Denzel and Marlene holding hands with two older adults. She looked back down to the girl. "I think she wants you to get better."

The girl pointed to Barret, who stood behind Tifa silently. He had Cloud slouched over his shoulder, limp. "She wants your friend to get better, too."

Nanaki and Cait Sith gently pushed through them, and turned back to face Tifa, Barret, and Cid. Yuffie and Vincent shuffled in, one after another. "…The spring is holy."

Tifa moved aside to allow Barret to pass through. Following in a neat line, the children soon moved ahead and stepped into the water. Yellow and white petals gracefully floated upon it's surface, giving the water itself a sense of hope. She smiled.

_Now I know—you're almost home._


	5. Voices

Ah herrow. :) I like this chapter, if I do say so myself *insert "teehee" here*. Thank you soooo much to all of the people who have been kind enough to read and review this-it's really nice to see all of the kind reviews that you've all left behind. :) Anyways, here's the fifth chapter. I hope you enjoy it-and AS ALWAYS, I enjoy your constructive criticism and reviews. :)

PS. I'm STILL looking for somebody to help me out with the whole spacing ordeal. XD

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A breeze.

He had been here.

A hand gently stroked his forehead. A woman was there with him, laughing softly. She sounded familiar.

"…Mother?"

She laughed softly and pulled her hand away.

_...Again? Why is everybody calling me their mother lately?_

A man was there, too. He laughed.

_I guess they must be fond of you._

…Zack?

There was a pause, and the two people seemed to be getting farther and farther away. The woman sounded as if she was thinking. After several minutes, she spoke.

…_This one's a little too big to adopt._

The man sighed. The soft scent of lilies began to fill Cloud's nostrils.

_Sorry, man. Sounds like you don't have a place here._

And they were gone. 

_Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky_

_Are like shooting stars?_

_I could really use a wish right now_

Where did they go? Why did they leave him? Why was he so alone again?

…_Water?_

Cloud could feel the soothing, cool feel of water pillowing his body.

Something was touching him; however these hands were much smaller than the previous one. They surrounded his body, most on his torso and arms. Daring to open his eyes, he found that the blinding white light was fading; being replaced with the surroundings of a church. He carefully placed his feet onto the bottom of the spring, where the last bits of light had dissipated, and he could now clearly make out people standing before him and surrounding the pool of water. Upon looking down, he saw children patiently waiting for him, smiles on their faces.

He couldn't help but smile, ever so slightly.

He was home.


	6. Flickering Light

Herrow. :) I'm thinking about making this the last chapter, but I also have an epilogue typed up just in case...you guys have to let me know if you want it.c: It's a little off-course from the story, but I couldn't help but to write it up anyways. Thank you sooooo incredibly super-duper much to the people who have given me all of the positive comments on this-it makes me even prouder of this story :). As always, I welcome your reviews and constructive criticism. Like I said, tell me if you want the epilogue. Enjoy. :D

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Tifa could feel her heart beating within her chest; as if this was the first time it had done so in a long time. It fluttered so wildly within, threatening to nearly burst with every second that she thought of it.

Cloud was alive.

Cloud was home.

And he wasn't going to leave them. Not again.

She watched him quietly as he slept, his head buried in his pillow and his body covered from the waist down in numerous blankets. His left arm, previously covered in bandaging, now hung, bare, off of the side of the bed. The only sound filling the room at the moment was the sound of his soft, steady breathing as he slept on; unaware of her quiet presence.

She gently took his arm and pressed it closer to his body. Pulling the blankets up farther on his body; she laughed softly as he shifted onto his side that faced her.

He had asked her on a date.

She supposed that she couldn't quite call it a date, but he offered to have dinner with her one night. They would probably just stay at the Seventh Heaven; but Cloud hardly ever used to eat dinner with Tifa and the kids. But he told her that he wanted to sit down and eat dinner one night with her; just the two of them. And that sounded better than going to any expensive restaurant.

Even after only a week, she saw all of the sides of Cloud. He finally seemed as if he were coming to the terms that he no longer had to hide from whatever scared him—even if it was only asking a girl on a date.

Tifa supposed that all she ever needed was that little bit of hope, concealed deep within her heart—just for him.

Looking out the window into the night sky; she smiled.

She didn't need to wish on airplanes in the sky anymore.


End file.
